Amplifire is a Finnish band which has self-released this album entitled AMPLIFIRE. It is always exciting to get my hands on a band I have never listened to before, and moreover, if it actually sounds good!

“Mariana”, the first track, has some really entertaining musical compositions that provide a nice heavy framework. Throughout its 4.15 minutes the track maintains a good rhythm and thus gives a good consistency. “Flames” has an extremely interesting intro which, however, fades away after 17 seconds. The track does, nonetheless, still have a good foundation in the composition. The vocal is also fitting nicely and performs at a higher level than seen on the first track. A track such as “Transparent and Outsider” is simultaneously captivating and tedious: Generally the cohesive sound is pleasant and stable but a few twists or more power in certain pieces would really have benefited the album. Of the existing and interesting twists found on the album is the very fluid transition from “Transparent and Outsider” to “Disease” that caught me by surprise. The 7th track, “We Never See Again”, is a bit more dynamic and fast-paced than the former 4 tracks which give a needed change in the musical output. Unfortunately it is otherwise one of the weakest tracks on this release.

Generally the album has a lot of atmosphere mixed with some good heavy elements. I was a bit skeptical of the vocal performance in the beginning but have come to enjoy it. It even feels like it develops throughout the tracks!

What Amplifire does brilliantly is the way they handle the framework of their songs: most of the songs are really solid musically. On the other hand it would be satisfying if they could have sprung a few more “surprises” as well.

Amplifire has thus produced an album they can be proud of! The musical elements show how well the band does their hand-craft. This makes for a cohesive sound and it is easily a release that can be listened to several times. Nonetheless there are still uninteresting aspects as well as too few really embracing moments.

Track Listing

1. Mariana
2. Flames
3. The Promise
4. Transparent and Outsider
5. Disease
6. Push Away The Sunshine
7. We Never See Again
8. Forgotten One
9. Off My Head
10. To The End